Biosensor technology is well known in the art.
US Patent Application No. 2003/0174992 discloses a method and an apparatus for providing a zero-mode waveguide including an analyte, which is subjected to activation by electromagnetic radiation for analyzing the analyte.
European Patent Application No. 05105599.4, entitled “Luminescence sensors using sub-wavelength apertures or slits”, filed on Jun. 23, 2005, discloses a biosensor with sub-wavelength spatial resolution operating inside a fluid.
In such a biosensor, an analyte may be arranged in apertures having at least partly sub-wavelength dimensions. The analyte may be included in a fluid. A luminophore present in the fluid emits radiation when exposed to excitation energy. The emitted radiation is collected by a detector.
A disadvantage of these type of biosensors is that the luminescent energy originating from an individual luminophore may depend on the position of the luminophore inside the aperture. As a result, these type of biosensors may have a response that has a poor quantitative relationship to the analyte to be analyzed, resulting in a poor accuracy of the detected property.